At a small apartment complex on Cummings Street, an altar on the second-floor walkway, adorned with candles, flowers and a cross, honors Maria Carmen Peralta. Neighbors remember the 77-year-old as a mother figure to many in the complex where she lived.
On the morning of Feb. 5, Peralta was found dead inside the apartment she shared with her son, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Alejandro Terriquez, Peralta’s son, is accused of killing his mother and has been charged with one count of murder, according to court records and the LAPD. Peralta died from multiple blunt force injuries, the L.A. County Medical Examiner confirmed.
Her death shocked neighbors and family who said Peralta regularly welcomed community members into her home.
“I thought she was my grandmother for a long time. After my mom died she would take care of my brothers and I,” said Michelle Alcantara, Peralta’s next-door neighbor. “I planted that tree with her when I was little,” she said, pointing to a mature tree in the complex.
Fabiola Ortiz, Peralta’s niece, is still reeling from the tragedy. She said her aunt, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease and had trouble walking, would go out of her way to provide for others, especially her son.
Maria Carmen Peralta over the years. Photos courtesy of Fabiola Ortiz.
“That’s the type of person she was. She was just giving. And I just feel so upset that this was her end,” Ortiz said. “Her son was her whole life. It’s so sad because she gave him so much love. She went out of her way to provide for him as a single mother.”
Terriquez occasionally helped out during community events at the Hollenbeck Youth Center, although it’s unclear in what capacity. Priscilla Hernandez, the youth center’s president, acknowledged his involvement but told Boyle Heights Beat he was never an official employee.
Ortiz believed that Terriquez had been Peralta’s legal caretaker over the last two years. A representative for the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), which oversees a program that provides in-home care to eligible seniors, could not confirm if Terriquez was paid as a care provider, citing California privacy laws.
To Ortiz and Alcantara, Terriquez’s criminal history alone should have barred him from serving as his mother’s caretaker.
In 2016, Terriquez was convicted of battery on an elder and resisting arrest, and sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years of probation, according to court records and the L.A. County District Attorney’s office. Other charges, including elder abuse and false imprisonment from the same 2015 incident, were dismissed in a plea deal, court records show.
While it’s unclear if Peralta was the direct victim in the 2015 incident, court records from the case name a Carmen Peralta as the person involved in a protective order against Terriquez.
According to CDSS policies, not all crimes against elders make applicants ineligible to provide in-home care services.
Now, Peralta’s family and friends are seeking answers.
Alcantara and Jesse Vasquez, another longtime neighbor, said Terriquez had struggled with alcohol abuse and appeared aggressive in the days leading up to her death.
On Monday, Feb. 3, two days before Peralta’s death, aggressive shouting from next door prompted Alcantara to call the police for a wellness check. Officers responded to a call of suspected elder abuse and engaged with Terriquez and his mother but did not find any signs of distress or trouble before leaving the complex, according to LAPD Officer Charles Miller.
Vasquez also said Terriquez had been aggressive and threatened him and other neighbors with violence the following day. The threats were enough for another neighbor to call for a second wellness check from the fire department, Vasquez said.
Boyle Heights Beat was unable to reach a representative from the L.A. Fire Department who could provide details about the reported call.
“It’s the police that failed her,” Alcantara said. “[Terriquez] was supposed to be taking care of her.”
Speaking for her family, Ortiz said the abuse her tía endured was tough to imagine, especially given the warning signs.
“There’s nothing that can be done for my tía now, but what about the next senior citizen? I’d hate for this to happen to anyone else,” she said.
Thank you for bringing light to this tragedy. Doña Carmen didn’t deserve this. Her story needs to be told. There needs to be new awareness inherited to create new protocols to keep our seniors safe even from their own children and additional family members. To avoid this from happening to others who maybe in a similar situation like Doña Carmen. A lot of people dropped the ball here and if they hadn’t Doña Carmen would still have her life. At least now she’s safe from harm no longer suffering.